I&I Annual Scientific Meeting 2024
On September 17, the 7th annual scientific meeting of the strategic program Infection & Immunity took place at Villa Jongerius in Utrecht. It was a buzzing face-to-face meeting with about 100 colleagues attending. The symposium was jointly hosted by internist-infectiologist Marjolein Hensgens, immuno-oncology researcher Victor Peperzak and clinical microbiologist András Spaan.
After a warm welcome and short overview of the recent developments at the strategic program by Marc Bonten, the symposium continued with a short presentation by I&I grant advisers Maaike Welling and Ryan Henderson. Then it was time for the mini-symposium entitled “Preventing infections in the immunocompromised host” with the following presentations:
- Infectious complications of cellular immune therapy in lymphoma and myeloma patients – Margot Jak
- Towards successful vaccination in immunocompromised - Anke Bruns
- Active surveillance infrastructures of vaccines to estimate benefits and risks, the VAC4EU experience – Mirjam Sturkenboom
- Identification of antibodies against K. pneumoniae that synergistically drive complement activation - Bart Bardoel
After the coffee break, the recipients of the I&I Grant 2023 presented on the progress of their awarded collaborative projects:
- Reducing non relapse mortality after stem-cell transplantation in patients with myeloid malignancies by personalized immune-suppression - Moniek de Witte (also on behalf of Stefan Nierkens)
- ENDURE: prEdictiNg primary graft DysfUnction and eaRly rEjection after heart and lung transplantation by immune cell profiling - Saskia de Jager (also on behalf of Nienke Vrisekoop)
- The role of the intestinal microbiome in failure in pain resolution and the development of chronic pain - Marcel de Zoete & Niels Eijkelkamp
As usual, the strategic program I&I also held its pitch competition for the best I&I publication 2024 by our PhD candidates as first author. The award winner received 750 euro free to spend. Four candidates – Mick van Eijs, Jonne Terstappen, Patricia Hernández López and Marjolein Stip - were selected by an I&I reviewing committee to present their publication at the meeting. After a live audience voting, the award was won by Jonne Terstappen (Center for Translational immunology) for her 2023 paper on the development of a simple blood test for assessment of neutralizing antibodies against the RS-virus (Terstappen et al. Journal of Infectious Diseases 2024 Jul 25;230(1):e93-e101). Such a test would be most useful in resource-poor settings.
The scientific program ended with an impressive keynote lecture by Shiranee Sriskandan, professor of Infectious Diseases (Imperial College London, U.K.) entitled “On the molecular anatomy of group A streptococcal disease”. Prof. Sriskandan focuses her research on understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Streptococcus pyogenes. This bacterium causes tonsillitis and scarlet fever, but also invasive infections such as necrotizing fasciitis, sepsis and toxic shock. Despite its significant health burden, there is currently no vaccine available. Research in Sriskandan’s group is mainly driven by unexpected changes that are seen in either the bacteria, patient disease phenotype, or disease epidemiology. This has led to work on novel proteases that cleave chemokines, that might function as vaccine targets, as well as unexpected routes of bacterial dissemination in the lymphatic system.
The day was closed by drinks and dinner over a competitive pub quiz! We hope to see you all next year again!
Please find below a selection of photographs of the day:
